Kenya's films board gives Google a week to take down gay song video

The Kenyan Film Classification Board (KFCB) has ordered Google to pull down a video that the agency considers as promoting gay relationships.

KFCB Chief Executive, Ezekiel Mutua on Tuesday wrote to Google Kenya and other state agencies asking them to take action against creators and distributors of the music video titled “Same Love” (by Art Attack) whose lyrics, he said, advocate gay rights in Kenya.

Mutua said the video which was released last week, has graphic sexual scenes between people of the same gender as well as depictions of nudity and pornography.

Homosexuality is illegal in Kenya.

“Kenya must not allow its people to become the Sodom and Gomorrah of the current age through psychological drive from such content. We have written to Google to remove the video from their platforms. We expect they will do it within one week from now to avoid further violation of the law,” he said.

He reiterated that Article 45 of the Kenyan Constitution defines marriage as a union between persons of the opposite sex and the Penal Code Section 162 to 165 criminalises homosexual behaviour – statutes he said have not changed.

Homosexuality is largely considered a taboo and repugnant to the cultural values and morality in Kenya. The state punishes sex between persons of the same gender.

However, some organisations are working to protect and improve the rights of such persons in the country.